In his second year at McMinnville High School (MHS), band director David Barton has been working hard to grow the music program in the McMinnville School District.
Last winter, he started a drive to solicit donations of unused musical instruments so he could widen the reach of music in the district by adding a band program for fifth grade students.
In addition to used instruments that have been cleaned up and reconditioned if necessary, the band got a brand-new flugelhorn. "They are very expensive instruments, and the ones we had are about 30 years old and didn't work very well," said Barton. "Getting a new one was like finding a diamond.
"I told some of my band director friends that I got one, and they were so jealous. It's a big deal." The flugelhorn is the only new instrument the band received this year.
Quinn Pomeroy, a senior who's been playing in band since sixth grade, is this year's steward of the new flugelhorn.
The purchase of the new flugelhorn was made possible by a grant from William Rutherford through the Oregon Community Foundation.